HISTORY CHANNEL****FOR SHAME***AMERICAN PICKERS

When people run there mouths about others it shows there ignorance! Ignorance that runs wild from there mouth. These so-called thieves are living the life that almost ALL Americans dream about! Just doing something they enjoy for a living, all of you holyrolling assholes should be ashamed of yourself! At least they have the motivation and push to go out and make our country great, by reinstating the worth of our heritage!!

Quoting: born American 1150028

When people run there mouths about others it shows there ignorance! Ignorance that runs wild from there mouth. These so-called thieves are living the life that almost ALL Americans dream about! Just doing something they enjoy for a living, all of you holyrolling assholes should be ashamed of yourself! At least they have the motivation and push to go out and make our country great, by reinstating the worth of our heritage!!

Quoting: born American 1150028

I totally agree. It sounds logical to me and to many others that people see anything wrong with what these guys are doing should move to a country where there is no such thing as profit made by a business, much less having a job that can be enjoyed. Russia or Communist China comes to mind. The problem is that there are these so-called morally superior idiots who continually find something wrong with every possible thing. Fuck'em

This show is great!! Its a business which you people clearly do not understand. The stuff they find most of the time is sitting in abandoned building on people's property which they haven't been in or even cared about for years. Why would they buy something at full retail value? This is their livelihoods, they need to get a lower price so they are able to re sell these items to make money to put food on their tables. If they didn't offer these people to buy their items, then probably no one will and the treasures would be forever lost without someone who would truly appreciate and care for the item. Stop being close-minded and judgmental and think about what they are really doing!

I have similar opinions about the disgusting industry of the self-storage companies--and NOW watching this disgrace and calling it "entertainment?" How many of you REALLY know the comings and goings of those storage places? If you knew...as I know from an absolutely insane experience working as a site manager for 3 months...you would not only make a comment on this thread...you would call your congressman! I was "lucky" enough to get the manager's job at the 600-unit self-store company in 2008(owned by a millionare who used it as both a fence and a tax-write-off) when the previous manager had a nervous breakdown and jumped off a bridge. (That should have been a red flag....sadly I did not know better being a naive Christian woman). There are theft rings going on in these places which cut off the locks and set up little "unregistered" units (or boggus names as the owners) when in fact they are like little "king Tut Tombs of treasures" which end up auctioned off by the dishonest owners and managers....sometimes they never do auction the stuff they just keep it and spread it among friends, etc! Seriously! The really good stuff RARELY gets into the hands of the people who show up for the auctioned--it is ALWAYS picked over BEFORE the pickers even get in there! (I saw this myself and found my co-manager had "gone to the dark side" to assist in this LEGAL THEFT!) I wish they would produce an under-cover TV show which shows various dishonest assholes like the guy I worked for getting caught in their "capitalist" scam. I hate these sick programs and I hope someday there is a true investigation FOR THE SAKE of MANY families ALREADY SUFFERING WHO LOSE THEIR LIFE'S POSSESSIONS! SHAME on History Channel! (Yes...I did alert the local police--yeah...they really listened.)

VVhile they do barter and come to an agreement vvith the seller, both Frank and Mike, definitely come across as very cheap!!!! and seem to rip some people off.. particular those vvho seem to get lovv balled, tend to be the elderly..

Yes, if the seller didn't vvant it, he or she vvouldn't sell it. doesn't mean they understand vvhats at stake.. Just b/c its a pile of junk in someone's backyard vvhere it vvill just sit and collect dirt and rust, doesn't mean they should get ripped off.

One guy on the season premiere last night vvas giving them deal after deal, vvith excellent prices.. VVhom Mike and Frank both acknovvledge the great prices. So, the elderly seller an antinque dealer himself, vvanted $1tvventy5 (Sorry my number tvvo key is busted).. Frank offfered $60 .. then Frank said he'll pay $onetvventyfive if he included an antique toy car saying the car is only vvorth $50 but at the end, said he'll sell it for $100 ..

it is these scenarios as to vvhy they come across as ripping people off.. yes they have to make money, yes its a business, but they do seem to take advantage of older people consitently lovv balling them.. Rick from the Pavvn Stars even said they lovv ball you.. Again, people have to understand just b/c the seller agrees to a lovv price, and that its junk in the backyard, doesn't mean its right, ethical or fair to lovv ball them..

and obviously there is a reason vvhy so many people are seemingly discussing Frank and Mike as being cheap and unfair on the internet.. as opposed to other similar shovvs.. they might be successful novv but once vvord continues to get out that they consistently lovv ball you, it vvill hurt their business in the long run.. vvhether or not if its true, it vvill still hurt them in the long run.. as someone vvho is indifferent, but avvare of the value of some of these pieces, I believe they definitely do NOT give most sellers a fair deal as opposed to the guys at Pavvn Stars vvho do !!

it is customary and expected to give 50% of its retail value.. so if something is vvorth $100, it is standard to give $50 for example.. but that's not alvvays the case..

Mike and Frank definitely come across as consistently lovv balling people, and it just seems its the elderly vvho get the brunt of these lovv offers.. just b/c its junk sitting in the back yard, doesn't mean they should get ripped off, nor does it mean if the seller agrees, its a fair deal and the seller should knovv better. its a business and Mike and Frank need to make money but clearly there is a reason vvhy so many people are saying they are super cheap.. Pavvn Stars members even mentioned they lovv ball you..

there are deals that come across as fair.. but like in last nights premiere, one guy vvas giving them fantastic deals, approx. 10% of the retail value on some items..and Frank and Mike tried to continue and take advantage of that.. yes its a business, yes they acknovvledged the great deals they vvere getting but it just seemed distasteful vvhen Frank ask the guy to throvv in an antique toy car vvith this old tv, saying the toy car is only valued at $50, then right after saying he'll sell it for $100 .. so yes, $50 is a fair price.. but he vvanted it to be included for free vvith a tv that vvas valued over $300 (one tvventy five for the tv and the toy car) .. but the seller definitely lost out on the deal as he vvanted one tvventy five for the TV.. and ended up adding this toy car to the deal.. vvhich, just seemed unfair..

its not that the deal vvas a rip off or bad but i didn't like that vvhen the guy said the car vvas vvorth $100, Frank disagreed saying it vvas only vvorth $50 to his face, only for a fevv minutes later to say indeed the car vvas indeed vvorth $100.. it just seemed distasteful after the seller vvas giving them great deals!

And just to make note in addition to my tvvo previous posts just above - they did donate that Fossilized bone of a Dinosaur to the school/museum.. Fossilized Dino bones can go for thousands, sometimes millions.. a Bone that size, could easily be vvorth $5,000 or more!! them donating it really really really impressed me!

Anyone who replied negatively to this show needs help! These guys are livin' the dream. I as well do this for a living. These "old" people you refer to know exactly what they have and trust me they didn't pay half as much as what they get offered. You anonamous cowards are the ones who should be ashamed.

What is the matter with the people writing these letters? I enjoy American Pickers; it reminds me how much junk accumulates as the years go bye. If they can find value in this stuff, God bless them. They buy what they can and if someone tells them they don't want to sell, they leave it alone. Interesting show.

I've been buying and selling on eBay for more than a decade, and now that I know the value of my specialties, I sell on etsy for a fixed price. Believe me, I am a fan of buying low and selling high, but when I finally watched my first episode of American Pickers last night, I was appalled. Those guys took complete advantage of people, lowballing them shamefully, pressuring them to take the price, and rubbing their hands in glee when they successfully hoodwinked someone out of an incredibly rare item. At least on eBay, an item sells at auction in a fair bidding process. Further enraging me were the graphics on the screen when the pickers estimated what they would sell the item for. Those profit numbers were clearly lowballed so that the pickers wouldn't look like the thieves they are.I've always hated the venal dealers I occasionally run into a rummage sales and such, always trying to score a huge bargain at someone else's expense. And that's exactly what these pickers are - venal.

op, you sound like obama the communist. all participants were happy. leland got some cash, the pickers MIGHT make a profit.

there is risk in making money and last time i checked we're still a capitalist society (not for long i suspect).

This goes WAY beyond just making money. It represents something FAR worse...the moral decay of the people and the fall of America!!!

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 868942

many times they would ask leland what he would take for an item, and they agreed right then and there. noone forced any of the people to sell. if they thought they might be getting screwed they could have said "thanks, but no thanks, i'll keep my old shit and let it rot here for eternity".

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 508527

Finally some intelligence, these guys are like a pawn shop on wheels. A big van actually which driving across country is not cheap. If someone doesn't like the price they say no, end of story. These guys steal nothing, they buy it from a seller with the sellers approval and permission.

If you want to collect a pile of shit and not research what anything is worth, you probably get what you deserve.If you don't want to take 50% of what its worth, don't sell to pawn shops and solicitors in vans. Ebay is there if you want retail price you're going to have to put the work in yourself. as these guys put in the work to determine value, haul the goods across country and pay the bill to sell them in a nice retail shop.

I've been buying and selling on eBay for more than a decade, and now that I know the value of my specialties, I sell on etsy for a fixed price. Believe me, I am a fan of buying low and selling high, but when I finally watched my first episode of American Pickers last night, I was appalled. Those guys took complete advantage of people, lowballing them shamefully, pressuring them to take the price, and rubbing their hands in glee when they successfully hoodwinked someone out of an incredibly rare item. At least on eBay, an item sells at auction in a fair bidding process. Further enraging me were the graphics on the screen when the pickers estimated what they would sell the item for. Those profit numbers were clearly lowballed so that the pickers wouldn't look like the thieves they are.I've always hated the venal dealers I occasionally run into a rummage sales and such, always trying to score a huge bargain at someone else's expense. And that's exactly what these pickers are - venal.

Quoting: Lindsay 7451624

So if you spend all your days buying crap at yardsales, for pennies on the dollar, "Hoodwinking" them as you claim american pickers do, and collect enormous piles of stuff you never use. Then sit down and spend the rest of your time listening to Rush or watching CNN instead of finding out WHAT IS IN YOUR ENORMOUS PILE OF STUFF, you are probably going to get ripped off.

If you want to collect and sell at a profit, you owe it to yourself to know the value of your own goods. If you don't, expect to be "Hoodwinked" because no one is going to give it to you, nothing is free. And no one is going to give you extra money for not knowing what you actually have.

At least the American Pickers seem to put in the work.The leg work, research, finding professionals to help determine value. That is what it takes, work. Like with anything else, if you want to do it half way - half assed, that is what you will get back out of it.

What other hobby can be done half way?What happens if you learn to shoot half way? learn to sharpen knives, weld, build homes or buildings, cook food or garden half way? Like with anything else, any other hobby or profession. Do it half way you'll be ripped off, missing eyes, fingers, poisoned and burried under a collapsed building you tried to build half way, next to you're half assed garden of a single mutated tomato.

Where do these idiotic, socialistic man-children who expect everything dished up on a silver platter "Just for being you!" come from?

OMgosh they double their money on everything they buy?!?! those evil doing con men! Actually they don't. Have you looked at the price of fuel lately?What about the cost of operating a business? Employees? Law suits from the dummies in this thread?

Not talking to/about you AC I quoted. S/he gets it.Just don't understand where all these people get this idea that life should always be fair because they are special?

Are they the same people who become discouraged looking for work and ask uncle sam for a weekly check "just for being you".You do realize you can help yourself, right? That you don't need to be hired to survive? That you too can do what humans have been doing for thousands of years to survive, that anyone can do just by trying? Not too far from how your villains Mike and Frank make their own money? Times get tough the tough get going?

Or is it;"Times get tough, occupy a tent and blame anyone still making money."?

Here is an idea, pick up a hammer, build something, and sell it. Or underpay for something at a yard sale and double your money by doing research and finding a buyer. Or use that thing between you're eyes to invent something. Sure most everything has already been invented, but many of them were invented during a good economy. Lets take... total gym for example, find a way to get similar results from cheaper material. Call it the "$20 Moob Melter" People are looking for cheaper alternatives to near everything. What do you enjoy doing?

Sorry I am mixing together different subjects and possibly derailing. But its a broader trend, everyone can see it.We are not our grandfathers, it shows.It is time to revert back to what works, we've lost something along the way. You can get it back, if you think you can't do something, you've never tried. It is in your DNA to create, invent, survive, build.

it is what it is.....think of elderly abuse when someone manipulate the elderly parents to get their estate at the expense of the heirs...

it happens....

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1513486

What on earth are you on about? Is it attractive females latching on to old rich males for financial gain (or vice versa) that you are referring to?Only to end up the sole recipient of everything in their will upon death? Instead of the heirs?

Because that is a mild stretch from buying/selling antiques for profit. Enless you consider Anna Nichole Smith as an antiques dealer.

This thread boggles my mind. How is it different from anything? If an elderly couple hires me to cut their lawn, lets say I charge them 20 bucks. Pretty common. The couple could do all the work, and spend only $3 in fuel for the same results. But they pay 20 so they do not have to do the work, even though it is much cheaper to do themselves.

Using this same scenario, lets look at how much I've really profited.

So we got the $3 mower fuel, I probably bought my own mower, and a portion of each job will cover a portion of that investment, lets add another $3. I probably need a vehicle and possibly a trailer to haul the equipment to their lawn, And that vehicle needs fuel also to haul the equipment. (probably have to charge more then $20 by this point) for the sake of the scenario lets add just another $3 each for the truck, trailer and more fuel.Now assume it takes me an hour to get the job done, add in transit time from one place to the next. I hope I don't need to hire any help because now I'm making less then minimum wage for myself. And that is BEFORE TAXES.

By your logic, I am robbing granddad by getting 6x what he could do it for. It is about the exchange of time and energy, and the cost of doing business.

Sometimes they make an excellent deal but many many items they barely make any profit on. Is this really an issue of for some of you ? C'mon.

Sometimes I seriously think why do they bother, so I'm quite surprised about this topic. Frank Fritz is a little more cheap/sneaky than Mike Wolfe (I like him more) though.

Those guys from Pawn Stars, those are evil. This topic should be about them. That fat guy always knows how to downgrade the items and laughs away everything. After all he sells it for big $$$. A complete disgrace. Absolutely not comparable with American Pickers.

Recently, I'm TOTALLY disgusted with American Pickers. I did like it at first, but I'm sick of seeing two obviously gay men (though they try to hide it with a chavonistic attitude), verbally abusing Danielle/females (and finding it hilarious), taking advantage of people that don't know the true worth of what they have (at least Pawn Stars brings in experts for a price, IN FRONT of the sellers) and giggling like little girls (disgusting) the whole time!!! These men are TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!! History Channel has sank to new lows in the last 3 years!! There's NOTHING concerning this show that has to do with history!!! It should be called "American Thieves"!!!

(at least Pawn Stars brings in experts for a price, IN FRONT of the sellers)

Quoting: dragontrouble9

This is something I read more often and (no offense) laughable. Its not that Pawn Stars come up with experts for the customer. Its because that fatty is scared to buy something which is worth nothing or less. Thats how it is, lets face it. He's that cheap. He does not care about that customer at all and have you ever heard him giggling ?

I would not be suprised either if he has a verbal agreement with these experts too, to lower the price a bit. I think its worth more than what these experts are saying.

When the price is decided he still has the guts to make an offer for far less. 25% auction fee's and more crap. The American Pickers does not make nearly as much profit on items as these fat hamburger eating guys of Pawn Stars.